The National Police has dismantled a criminal organization in Gran Canaria that allegedly engaged in drug trafficking operating in the archipelago, within the framework of the so-called Operation Tijuana.
The investigation, carried out over a year by agents of the Central Narcotics and Organized Crime Unit (UDYCO) and the UDYCO of Las Palmas, has led to the arrest of seven people, one of them a Local Police officer from Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, considered members of the criminal network, and the dismantling of the infrastructure used for the storage and distribution of narcotic substances.
Police inquiries made it possible to verify the existence of a perfectly structured organization, allegedly led by a known police target known by the alias “JUKE”, investigated for years for his capacity to introduce and distribute large quantities of hashish and cocaine in the Canary Islands.
Links with one of the biggest drug traffickers in the Canary Islands
During the investigation, agents documented the group's activity and its logistical capacity for the transport and distribution of drugs between different islands of the archipelago, as well as the links that JUKE had with “El Buque” one of the biggest drug traffickers in the Canary Islands, currently in prison after his arrest by UDYCO Central and UDYCO Las Palmas within the framework of Operation Blood Ties, and with individuals belonging to the Balkan Cartel.
The police operation was carried out after one of the organization's distribution operations was detected, in which the investigated individuals were transporting more than 300 kilograms of hashish in a rented van in order to hinder its detection.
Following this action, six judicial search warrants were executed in different properties and commercial premises in the municipalities of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Ingenio, and San Bartolomé de Tirajana. As a result of the searches, more than 300 kilograms of hashish, two kilograms of cocaine, two handguns, 55,000 euros in cash, eight vehicles, a semi-rigid boat, a dozen mobile devices, and abundant documentation related to the investigation were seized.
The operation remains open
The investigation remains open under the direction of the competent judicial authority, without prejudice to new actions that may arise from the analysis of the evidence obtained during the operation, and once the police proceedings are concluded, the detainees will be brought before the judicial authorities.
The National Police maintains a firm commitment in the fight against drug trafficking and organized crime, intensifying the investigation of those organizations that seek to use the Canary Islands as a strategic point for the storage and distribution of narcotic substances.